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January 2014

POPLARVILLE - Pearl River Community College will hold a stunt clinic Saturday, Jan. 11, for those interested in trying out for the Wildcat cheerleading squad. The clinic will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon in Shivers Gym in Poplarville and costs $25. Participants must register with cheerleading coach Candace Harper by Wednesday, Jan. 8 Checks should be made payable to the PRCC Development Foundation and mailed to PRCC Cheer, 101 Highway 11 North, Box 5389, Poplarville, MS 39470. Participants must have a completed liability form signed by their legal guardian. Email Harper at charper@prcc.edu for the form. She can also be reached at 601 403-1193.

POPLARVILLE - Pearl River Community College will host the annual Women’s Health Symposium on Saturday, Jan. 25, in Crosby Hall on the Poplarville campus. Featured speaker for the 2014 symposium will be Jean Gatz, who has been bringing her humorous insights into women’s challenges to events for more than 20 years. The symposium also will include a health fair with free screenings, information booths and a bit of pampering by PRCC cosmetology students. PRCC started the symposium in 2007 as a way to address the high death rate among women from heart disease, stroke and other health problems, said Dr. Becky Askew, PRCC vice president for planning and institutional research and chair of the symposium. Approximately 200 women attended the first symposium. “Over the years the participation has grown, and last year more than 400 registered to attend this event,” Askew said. “The 2014 Women’s Health Symposium will once again feature free health screenings and presentations by health professionals and those attending will have the opportunity to ask questions of the health professionals. It is hoped that the symposium will provide the information needed for participants to make lifestyle changes which will lead to healthier and more productive lives.” The Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation again is grand sponsor for the symposium, helping make the event possible with a grant of $17,000. Gatz will open the first general session at 8:30 a.m. with “Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This.” “She comes highly recommended by committee members,” said Brenda Wells, chair of the speakers’ committee and PRCC director of institutional research. Her presentation will be followed by a panel of area healthcare providers who will talk about their specialities, including family medicine, neurology and obstetrics and gynecology, and answer questions from the audience. The health fair will start at 10 a.m. and will include blood pressure, blood cholesterol, pulse oximetry, bone density, dental, memory, Lasik, glaucoma and computerized posture screenings along with manicures and paraffin wax treatments, risk assessments, bilateral weight scale assessments and stress management information. The art walk, featuring the work of artists from South Mississippi, will be open during the health fair as well as before and after the symposium. While participants enjoy the luncheon at 12 p.m., The Voices will entertain. The Voices is an elite vocal ensemble composed of 12 vocalists selected by audition. Director is LaDona Tyson, PRCC director of choral groups. Gatz will lead a second general session with “Clean Out the Junk Drawer of Your Life.” Following her presentation, door prizes will be awarded and the art walk will re-open. Registration fee is $20 if postmarked by Jan. 17; $25 if mailed after that date. Registration materials can be obtained by telephoning 601 403-1317 or emailing womenshealthsymposium@prcc.edu.

POPLARVILLE - The National Exercise Trainers Association is offering a personal trainer certification workshop at Pearl River Community College. The workshop will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 22, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 23, at the PRCC Wellness Center. Topics to be covered are exercise sciences, including anatomy, kinesiology, exercise physiology and biomechanics; health and fitness assessments, principles of nutrition and weight management, exercise programming for healthy adults and fundamentals of interpersonal communication, behavioral change and leadership skills. Participants who are already certified will earn 14 NETA continuing education credits, 1.4 ACE credits, 11 AFAA credits and 1.4 NASM credits. Early bird registration of $399 is offered through Feb. 21. Standard registration after that date is $449 and on-site registration is $459. To register, go to www.netafit.org or telephone 1-800-237-6242.

POPLARVILLE - Pearl River Community College has received a $50,000 grant from the Mississippi Development Authority to support Rolls-Royce at Stennis Space Center. The grant is being administered by Workforce Education at PRCC. “Rolls-Royce is doubling their test capacity for their jet engines at Stennis Space Center,” said Troy Teadt, PRCC workforce liaison. “They’re going to be adding approximately 40 new positions out there. We’re assisting them in their expansion to conduct and support the training they need for their new employees.” The funds are used to send new employees to a training center in Columbus, Ohio; the company’s main test facility in Derby, England; or to training at Stennis, he said. Rolls-Royce North America opened its first engine test site outside of the United Kingdom at Stennis in 2007 and completed a second test stand in the fall of 2013. The new jet engine test stand will play a key role in the company’s development of next generation technology that will make important advancements in improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions, according to the company’s website. The site conducts noise, crosswind, endurance and other tests on the latest Rolls-Royce civil aircraft engines. The engines include the Trent 1000 that powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Trent XWB that powers the Airbus A350 XWB. The company employs more than 150 people at Stennis and at Rolls-Royce Marine Propeller and Waterjet Foundry in Pascagoula, where it machines, manufactures, tests and repairs propellers for the US Navy and Coast Guard. The company also operates a defense regional field office at Naval Air Station Meridian. The expansion offers jobs for test operators and supervisors along with forklift and man lift operators, Teadt said. “Everything from the very technical to the support people,” he said. For more information about jobs with Rolls-Royce, go to www.rolls-royce.com and click on the careers tab.

POPLARVILLE - As a child, Laura Ousset learned to use and enjoy carpentry tools and how to sew clothing and household items. A college degree in mathematics and a 28-year career in data processing at Xavier University of New Orleans didn’t include art. Retirement and a move to McNeill meant finding something to do, leading Ousset to a second career as an artist. Her woodturning and quilting work - Bits and Pieces - are on display at Pearl River Community College’s Moody Hall Gallery through Feb. 13. “I’ve been having a wonderful time,” Ousset said. “I highly recommend retirement.” Shortly after moving from New Orleans in 1998, she joined the Picayune Piecemakers quilting guild. “I’ve always been interested in quilt making but I’d never done any,” she said. “I signed up for a class.” A couple of years later, she and her husband began woodturning lessons with Tom Dunn, a professional turner in New Orleans, and joined the Bayou Woodturners. “I’ve been doing that ever since,” she said. “I particularly like doing segmented pieces. The planning process, the ability to create color and contrast in any shape I want and the precision required to produce good results are very appealing to me.” The exhibit features segmented pieces, including an open vase made of 321 pieces, along with solid pieces, some colored with aniline dyes. “I work hard on the finishing stage so that the piece feels as good as it looks,” Ousset said. “I like people to pick up my work and discover the texture and heft of a piece.” Woodturning requires investment in a lathe, table saw or chop saw and various other tools. According to family lore, Ousset has been using tools since she was a toddler. “My dad used to tell me one of my first adventures was sitting on the end of his workbench,” she said. “I took the drill and drilled a hole and put a three-inch bolt in his workbench. I’m not sure he wanted a bolt in his workbench, but there it was.” Her exhibit includes a number of quilted wall hangings and table runners demonstrating several techniques. “The interplay of shapes and colors and the textural addition of the quilting itself is the part that I find exciting,” Ousset said. Although not represented in the exhibit, Ousset also plays bass guitar with the Henleyfield Pickers and Jordan River Band. The Moody Hall Gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays on the first floor of the building. “I love her stuff,” said PRCC art instructor Charleen Null. “It’s gorgeous and well-done. You don’t find a lot of women doing woodturning.” Woodturning and quilting both involve changing the shape of an artistic medium, linking two art forms that at first glance seem disconnected.

“Although I didn’t see the similarity at first, it would seem that I just enjoy cutting things up and putting them back together,” Ousset said.

Laura Osset with some of the woodturning pieces on display in Moody Hall.

POPLARVILLE - Students in the electronics technology program at Pearl River Community College use a new piece of equipment that puts them ahead of their peers in similar programs. The computer numerically-controlled circuit board router designs and makes circuit boards, said instructor Vic Cerniglia. “No other community college that I’m aware of has this,” he said. Students enrolled in drafting for electronics - a two-week block course - quickly learn to use the equipment. “This is the third day and they’re already designing circuit boards,” Cerniglia said. “Pretty much every electronic device has circuit boards. They start out at this level developing prototypes for the actual circuit.” Katie Williams of Poplarville expects the added experience will help her land a good job. “It’s really interesting,” she said. “I’ve never done anything like this before. It’s really advantageous.” Williams is on track to graduate in December with a dual major in electronics and instrumentation technology. She is combining course work with service in the Air Force Reserves as an avionics technician. “It’s not quite as intricate as this,” she said. Electronics technology is one of several career-technical programs PRCC offers in the block format - a complete course is taught in two weeks with classes meeting all day. Students can earn an associate in applied science degree in electronics technology in four semesters. For information about the electronics technology program, contact Cerniglia at 601 403-1108 or vcerniglia@prcc.edu

:Electronics technology student Katie Williams of Poplarville works with the computer numerically-controlled router to design and make a circuit board at Pearl River Community College.PRCC Public Relations photo

POPLARVILLE - Students who moved into Marion Hall for the spring semester think they’re in residence hall utopia. The $3.6 million facility houses up to 60 male students in a two-story building constructed around an open-air courtyard. “It’s like going to a Ferrari from a station wagon,” siad Alex Carlen of Leetown. He moved from a cramped two-person room in Pearl River Hall to a spacious four-person suite with friends from Hancock County. “The living room alone is three times as big as the whole room I was sharing,” said Justus Rainey of Diamondhead. He switched from Huff Hall to Marion. Residents were selected based on a grade point average of 3.5 or above. The building, equipped with wireless internet service and a laundry room, houses eight two-person suites, 11 four-person suites and a head resident’s apartment. The four-person suites feature a large living area with two bedroom alcoves at either end and two bathrooms opening off the center of the room. The switch from one roommate to three hasn’t caused any problems, Rainey said. “They all gang up in one room anyway, so there’s more room to congregate,” said Johanna Peterson, head resident. The two-person suites have a smaller, separate living area and one bathroom. Each bedroom is furnished with a captain’s bed with drawers underneath the mattress, an armoire and a desk. Marion Hall was built between the River Village women’s residence halls and the Technology Center on the site of the transportation building destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The previous Marion Hall, located near the Alexander Administration Building, was damaged by Hurricane Katrina but was repaired enough to be used for several years. It has since been demolished. “The new student housing project has turned out to be a beautiful and functional facility,” said Dr. William Lewis, PRCC president. “We have experienced a significant increase for on-campus housing this past year and the addition of this facility has greatly enhanced our ability to meet these requests. The addition of this facility gives Pearl River Community College students access to student housing that is exceptional on-campus housing.” General contractor was Hanco Construction Co. of Hattiesburg.

Alex Carlen of Leetown relaxes in the Marion Hall suite he shares with three other Pearl River Community College students.

The bedrooms in Marion Hall are furnished with captain’s beds, armoires and desks.

Marion Hall, a $3.6 million residence hall at Pearl River Community College, was built around an open-air courtyard.PRCC Public Relations photos

We believe all students should have access to a quality education. That is why PRCC is teaming up with community members in Pearl River County to initiate the “Your change can make a change” Scholarship Campaign for Pearl River County students. Our goal is to have 260 residents/alumni of Pearl River County to pledge only $25 toward scholarship support for students in Pearl River County in the next 65 days! This campaign will launch January 22 and end at our campaign dinner on March 27! This gives us 65 days to raise $6500! Ambitious you ask? YES, but we owe it to our students to try! We would like to encourage all of our faculty and staff to join us and BE THE CHANGE our students need! You can make your pledge of $25 by calling 601-403-1193 with your Visa, MasterCard or American Express or mail your tax deductible pledge to the PRCC Foundation, Memo: Change Campaign, PO Box 5389, Poplarville, MS 39470. When you make a donation make sure to mention it on Facebook and Twitter with #makeachange!

Questions about this campaign? Contact Candace Harper at 601-403-1193.

POPLARVILLE - Pearl River Community College today was named one the country’s top 150 community colleges eligible to compete for the 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The eligibility marks the third time the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program has recognized PRCC for the prize, which carries with it $1 million in funds. “Pearl River Community College has been extremely fortunate to have been recognized for the third year in a row as being eligible to compete for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence,” said Dr. William Lewis, PRCC president. “This honor is afforded to the top ten percent of community colleges in America. This places Pearl River in a unique position among community colleges nationwide. It is our belief that this is a most significant reflection on the quality of the product produced by our institution.” The prize, awarded every two years, is the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges and recognizes institutions for exceptional outcomes in student learning, certificate and degree completion, employment and earnings, and high levels of access and success for minority and low-income students. Ten finalists will be named in the fall of 2014 and site visits will be conducted at those colleges. The grand prize winner and a few finalists with distinction will be named in early 2015. In recent years, several organizations have listed PRCC among the country’s best:• Create a Career website ranks PRCC as 23rd on its December 2013 list of the 25 Best Community Colleges in the United States.• TheBestSchools.org website listed PRCC as 28th nationally in 2013.• CNN Money’s list of top community colleges ranked PRCC 20th in 2012.• PRCC is listed on the Military Friendly Schools list for 2013 and 2014. The 150 colleges eligible for the Aspen Prize were selected from more than 1,000 public two-year colleges based on publicly available data on student outcomes. “I think that it speaks volumes about the level of quality in the educational opportunities we provide here,” said Dr. Justin Williamson, English instructor and president of the Poplarville campus Faculty Association. “Just to be in the company of these other institutions is an honor in itself. It’s a tremendous recognition and honor and it seems to be a really happy trend with the Aspen Prize and the other recognitions.” The 150 community colleges are located in 37 states, represent urban, rural and suburban markets large and small schools, such as Miami Dade College with more than 100,000 students in Florida and Carver Career Center in West Virginia with fewer than 500. PRCC has more than 4,000 students enrolled. Other Mississippi community colleges eligible to apply include East Mississippi, Hinds, Holmes, Itawamba, Mississippi Gulf Coast and Southwest. The 2013 Aspen Prize was awarded to co-winners Santa Barbara (Calif.) City College and Walla Walla (Wash.) Community College. Valencia College in Florida won the inaugural 2011 prize. PRCC will submit an application containing detailed data on degree/certificate completion, employment and earnings of PRCC graduates and student learning outcomes. “Community colleges have tremendous power to change lives, and their success will increasingly define our nation’s economic strength and the potential for social mobility for every American,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, in a prepared statement. “This competition is designed to spotlight the excellent work being done in the most effective community colleges, those that best help students obtain meaningful, high-quality education and training for competitive-wage jobs after college. We hope it will raise the bar and provide a roadmap for community colleges nationwide.” More information about the Apsen Institute can be found at http://www.aspeninstitute.org/policy-work/aspen-prize/about.

POPLARVILLE - All campuses of Pearl River Community College will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday due to the winter storm forecast for South Mississippi.Day and night classes and other events scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday are cancelled. Residence hall students are encouraged to go home, if possible.The college is scheduled to reopen at 8 a.m .Thursday. Classes and other events scheduled for today will continue as planned.Any changes to these plans will be posted on the PRCC website and social media sites and released to media outlets in the area.

POPLARVILLE - Almost 500 women treated themselves to a day of learning, pampering and laughter Saturday at the eighth Pearl River Community College Women’s Health Symposium here. From free blood pressure and bone density screenings to manicures and a plethora of door prizes, the symposium offered a day of fun mixed with important health information. Keynote speaker Jean Gatz of Baton Rouge shared humor and advice to open the symposium with Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This. “A lot of times we create these days ourselves,” she said. “We don’t get to chose a lot of what life gives us, but we do get to choose how we respond.” She spoke again after the luncheon with Clean Out the Junk Drawer of Your Life. “Achieving balance isn’t about what goes on outside of you,” she said about the age-old question about combining work and home life. “Achieving balance is all about what goes on inside of you.” The symposium also included a panel of healthcare providers who answered a wide range of questions from the audience on issues of particular concern to women. Dr. Shana Allen, chair of the PRCC dental hygiene and dental assisting department, moderated the panel, which included nurse practitioner Selena Clearman of Wesley Primary Care in Oak Grove, Dr. Melissa Holland, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Hattiesburg Clinic; Dr. James M. Riser of Riser Medical Associates in Picayune and Dr. Elizabeth Sullivan of Neurology Associates in Hattiesburg. PRCC started the Women’s Health Symposium in 2007 to provide free health screenings and information to women in South Mississippi in an effort to combat the state’s increasing death rates due to heart disease and stroke among women. “When we first started to envision this event, never in our wildest dreams did we think we’d have 500 people here and have to turn another 100 away,” PRCC President Dr. William Lewis said. Grand sponsor for the symposium is the Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation through a $17,000 grant. The symposium gives PRCC students a chance to interact with their future patients and clients. Students from the dental hygiene program at the Forrest County Center staffed an information table, Forrest County Center medical laboratory technology students drew blood for glucose tests, nursing students on the Poplarville campus did blood pressure screenings and cosmetology students provided manicure and paraffin wax treatments. Grand prize winners were Lavonne Henry of Poplarville, a Ronaldo bracelet from Apples Ltd.; Janet Necaise of Kiln, a year’s supply of Coke from Hattiesburg Coca-Cola; Charity McCoy of Hattiesburg, an Infinity Spa package from Healing Touch Day Spa in Hattiesburg; Janet Washabaug of Purvis, a Day of Beauty from Belk in Hattiesburg; Jennifer Hession of Purvis, two Adirondack patio chairs from the PRCC construction management department; and Jeannie Dixon of Poplarville, a concrete patio table from the PRCC masonry department. Elite prize winners were Evelyn Shelby of Carriere, an original painting by Alex Ladner; Mary Salter of Lumberton, a Clarisonic Mia from Campbell Commodities; Kathy Hodge of Poplarville, a Kindle Paperwhite Tablet from the PRCC admissions office; and Pam Albertson of Poplarville, Keurig coffee maker from the PRCC disability services office. Silver sponsors were Hancock Bank, Mississippi Power Co., Pearl River County Hospital and Nursing Home, Slidell Memorial Hospital and Wal-Mart Supercenter in Picayune. Bronze sponsors were BankPlus, First National Bank of Picayune, Hattiesburg Clinic, Highland Community Hospital, Southern Bone and Joint Specialists PA, The First, A National Banking Association; and Wesley Medical Center.

Pearl River Community College medical laboratory technology student Brook Rodgers of Hattiesburg does a finger stick for glucose screening at the Women’s Health Symposium on Jan. 25 in Poplarville.

Pearl River Community College cosmetology student Jessica “PJ” Thompson of Picayune, left, gives Martha Lawler of Hattiesburg a manicure during the Women’s Health Symposium on Jan. 25 as Kay Clay of Petal has her nails done by Brianne Burge of Poplarville.PRCC Public Relations photos

POPLARVILLE - All campuses of Pearl River Community College will remain closed Thursday, Jan. 30, due to hazardous road conditions.Classes will resume and offices will open at 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 31.Residence hall students are encouraged to return to the Poplarville campus after 3 p.m. Thursday.The women’s and men’s basketball games scheduled for Thursday will be played at 4 and 6 p.m. Friday, respectively, on the Poplarville campus.

Dental Hygiene clinics scheduled for 8:00am and 1:00pm are cancelled for Thursday, January 30th. Also the Dental Hygiene Information Session scheduled for Thursday, January 30th at 6:00pm will be rescheduled for another date.

POPLARVILLE - A dental hygiene major was crowned Miss PRCC Wildcat 2014 during the annual pageant Jan. 27 at the Ethel Holden Brownstone Center for the Arts. Chynna Louise Coghlan, 21, also won the physical fitness award. First alternate was Dory Lunn of Mize, a physical therapist assistant student who also won the presence and composure award. Second alternate was Darion Matthews of Richton, also a physical therapist assistant student. Joelle Ladner of Lumberton, an elementary education major, was named third alternate and winner of the judges’ interview award. Fourth alternate and winner of the congeniality award was Breanna Peters of Brandon. Shaquell Thomas of Hattiesburg received the ad sales award. Coghlan is the daughter of Chad and Chrystal Coghlan and a 2011 graduate of Enterprise Attendance Center. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society, Sigma Kappa Delta English honorary and the Baptist Student Union at the Forrest County Center. She was crowned by 2013 Miss PRCC Wildcat, Sarah Friday of Hattiesburg, also a dental hygiene student. Judges were Jennifer Haik and Tonia McElveen, both of Franklinton, La., and Nayarda Robison of Hattiesburg. Mistress of ceremonies was Lauren Baker of Poplarville. The contestants competed on stage in presence and composure and physical fitness. Individual interviews with the judges were conducted before the pageant began.

HATTIESBURG - Jermaine Brown will be guest speaker for the annual Black History Month Observance at the Forrest County Center of Pearl River Community College. The program will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 3, in the Building 5 multi purpose room on the Hattiesburg campus. A native of Hattiesburg, Brown is principal of Hattiesburg High School where he graduated in 1991. He holds the Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Jackson State University and the master’s and Education Specialist degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi. Brown is pursing a PhD in education administration at Southern Miss.Brown has held administrative positions in three other schools districts - Forrest County, Biloxi and Meridian. He is a member of the Mississippi Association of School Administrators, the Jackson State and Southern Miss alumni associations and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and is a life member of the NAACP. He has participated in the Leadership Pine Belt Class of 2000, the Mississippi Education Policy Fellowship Program, which resulted in him being named a Carnegie Fellow by the Institute of Educational Leadership in Washington, D.C.; and was selected in 2006 to attend the Senate Leadership Summit for Young Professionals, Washington, D.C. Brown and his wife, the former Kim Stewart of Tupelo, are the parents of two daughters, Carrington and Karsyn. He is a twin son of Charles J. Brown and Christine Brown Cooley. The public is invited to attend the program.